Shudh Shodh: Research Lead

Location: Mumbai, India (Hybrid / Field-based)

Position Type: Full time

Reports To: Co-Founder & CEO, Brain Bristle

About Brain Bristle & Shudh Shodh

Today, 1 in every 68 children under the age of 10 is diagnosed on the autism spectrum

(~3 million children) and there’s more than 8 million children and adolescents diagnosed with an intellectual disability. In low-income schools across India, specialist support for autistic or Intellectually Disabled (ID) students is almost nonexistent. Brain Bristle works to bridge this gap, because every child belongs in the classroom.

We drive impact toward intervention through three core programmes:

- The Social Work Fellowship: Selecting and training graduates from psychology,

counseling, teaching and social work, placing them in low-income Mumbai schools for a full year of embedded education and inclusion work through remedial pull outs, classroom interventions, teacher partnerships, and parent engagement.
- Modules of Learning for Inclusion: A 2-year hybrid of digital and in-person training and inclusion advisory program reaching low income schools across

Mumbai and Jaipur. Delivering bi-monthly e-modules covering autism,

DSM-5-TR, ABA applications, curriculum adaptations, specialist teacher training alongside institutional advisory to build sustainable inclusive systems.

- Advocacy and Awareness: Running free, open community webinars, public talks, lectures, workshops and short films to make knowledge accessible,

challenge stigma at scale, and bring the realities of autistic and ID children across communities to wider attention.

Shudh Shodh is Brain Bristle’s new work stream, a dedicated research and knowledge-building vertical. It addresses the systemic research gap in inclusion and education of autism and ID in India through field evaluations, white papers, policy briefs,

and evidence-based frameworks, translating ground-level data from our programmes into scalable prototypes and systemic levers of change.

Role Overview

As the Research Lead, you will head Shudh Shodh, leading the design, execution, and synthesis of research initiatives across our partner schools and programmes. You will bridge high-rigor academic methodology with compassionate, participatory field practice,



transforming ground-level data and classroom insights into white papers,

evidence-backed advocacy tools, films, campaigns and policy-level briefs focused on the inclusion and education of children with autism and ID.

Key Responsibilities

- Strategic Research & Portfolio Management (Shudh Shodh)

● Research Agenda: Lead and execute the research strategy for Shudh Shodh,

mapping field evidence from inclusive classrooms in Mumbai into actionable publications.

● White Papers & Advocacy: Author high-quality white papers, impact studies,

and policy briefs focused on autism and ID, early identification, inclusive pedagogy, and system-level inclusion in low-income schools.

● Prototypes & Toolkits: Translate research findings into replicable prototypes,

films, campaigns, training toolkits, and support for our Modules of Learning for educators, schools, and non-profit partners.

- Field Data Architecture & Impact Evaluation

● Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E;): Collaborate with the Social Work Fellowship team to build data tools tracking Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs),

behavioral shifts, curriculum progress, and academic/social integration outcomes.

● Mixed-Methods Research: Design qualitative and quantitative methodologies

(surveys, interviews, classroom observations, action research) that respect individuals and uphold participant dignity.

● Ethical Standards: Maintain strict protocols for data collection, informed consent, confidentiality, and child safeguarding across all partner school sites.

- Academic Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement

● Academic Collaborations: Build research partnerships with university departments (Special Education, Psychology, Social Work, Public Health) in India and globally.

● Dissemination: Represent Brain Bristle at research symposia, conferences,

seminars, screenings, and policy discussions to drive public awareness and institutional change.

● Funder & Board Reporting:



Synthesize research data into impact metrics for institutional donors, board decks, and annual reports.

Qualifications & Key Requirements

● Educational Background: Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Special Education,

Applied Psychology, Development Studies, Social Work, Education Policy, or a related discipline.

● Experience: 4–7+ years of research experience, with a track record in field research, mixed-methods evaluation, and publishing white papers or peer-reviewed literature in education, autism, or intellectual disabilities.

● Domain Knowledge: Strong understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD),

Intellectual Disabilities (ID), inclusive educational methodologies, DSM-5-TR, and the grassroots education ecosystem in India.

● Data & Tooling Competency: Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative analysis tools (e.g., SPSS, R, NVivo, or Atlas.ti) as well as field data collection platforms.

● Ethical Commitment: Commitment to dignity-affirming practices, participatory action research (PAR), and child safeguarding standards.

● Communication: Exceptional written and oral communication skills in English and working knowledge of Hindi or Marathi for field engagement.

What Success Looks Like in Year 1

● Publication and Production: Publishing 1–2 flagship white papers, support with production of an awareness film and a campaign under Shudh Shodh on inclusion and educational outcomes for autism and ID in low-income school environments.

● Data Integration: Establishing a streamlined data collection loop connecting ground Social Work Fellow observations (IEP progress, curriculum level jumps)

directly to research metrics.

● Framework Development: Producing 1–2 evidence-backed toolkits or modules for wider distribution across educational institutions and partner networks.

How to Apply

Interested candidates can send their CV, a cover letter expressing their interest in the research & writing for the autism, ID, and inclusion space, and 1–2 relevant writing samples or published research papers or other research backed work to [email protected]

Compensation: Between ₹9-10 Lakhs Per Annum (based on experience)

Brain Bristle is committed to salary transparency. Remuneration is fixed, fair, and reviewed annually based on foundation milestones.

📌 Research Development Lead (Mumbai)
🏢 Brain Bristle
📍 Mumbai